Michigan Democrats help health care bill squeak through House

Deb Price / The Detroit News

Washington -- Michigan's 15 House members split along party lines Saturday night on a health care bill that Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, praised for putting "us closer to the day when the cost of medical care no longer results in bankruptcy" but Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, warned would force Americans to "trade our family doctor for a Washington bureaucrat."

The bill passed 220-215 in a dramatic, unusual marathon that lasted deep into Saturday night, filled with passionate debate.

"With this historic vote we are closer to bringing relief to American families who are forced to decide whether they will pay the mortgage or their health insurance premium," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, the lead sponsor of the legislation.

"And with this historic vote, we will help American business compete in the global marketplace. ... Our actions will earn the respect and appreciation of Americans for generations to come," Dingell said.

Expanding health care coverage has been the career-long goal of the 83-year-old Dingell, who presided at the opening of the debate, banging a gavel he used in 1965 when the House passed Medicare.

Elected in 1955 after the death of his congressman father, Dingell introduced "Pop's" national health care bill every year since. Dingell was given a standing ovation by both Democrats and Republicans.

Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, announced he'd support the bill Saturday. The state's other freshman, Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, had earlier signaled he would support the bill.

Peters praised the bill for being "market-based, expanding choice, competition and stability... (It) makes our system more efficient and does not add to the deficit. AARP supports this bill because Medicare would be strengthened, closing the prescription drug donut hole and providing new preventative care at no cost for seniors."

Schauer said he will hold town halls meetings in his district next week about the bill.

"Today's historic vote marks a major step towards repairing the economic damage done to families, seniors, businesses, and the federal deficit under America's broken health care system. It lays the groundwork for long-term economic growth, and a stronger, healthier America," Schauer said.

But Republicans charged that the Democrats' overhaul would destroy the nation's health care system and explode the deficit.

"Michigan's families are in desperate need of real health reform, but this reckless $1.3 trillion package does not get to the core of the problem and makes the cure much worse than the disease, adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit, costing jobs and eroding quality of care," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph.

Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, called the bill a "gigantic gamble."

Camp, the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, warned, "This bill will do lasting damage to our economy and force millions of Americans to give up their current health care coverage. With the national unemployment rate spiking to 10.2 percent yesterday, it should be unthinkable to pass this bill which contains more than $730 billion in new taxes that will destroy millions more American jobs."

Rep. Thad McCotter, R-Livonia, called the Democrats' approach to fixing health care problems antiquated, contending their "government-run takeover of Americans' health care is as ill-suited to our times as a leeching is to laser surgery."

Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, called the overhaul a job-killer.

"The higher taxes and mandates included in this legislation will serve as another hurdle for hard pressed job providers to create the jobs so desperately needed in our economy."

Stupak, successfully pushed an amendment to ban federal funds for abortion under the public health insurance option in the bill and prohibit federal subsidies for purchasing health plans covering abortion.

After it passed, Stupak said, "Passage of the Stupak amendment does not impose a new federal abortion policy; it simply continues what has been the law of the land since 1977," Stupak said, "and I am pleased that with the addition of this amendment the House health care reform bill will continue that policy.

"...I thank Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi for allowing this important vote to occur and I appreciate the hard work and perseverance of my pro-life colleagues in Congress who held strong and stood with me over the past several months as we worked to find a way to allow this vote against all odds," Stupak added.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said her group would work to get rid of the provision, which Stupak introduced with Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Penn. She said the provision would make it virtually impossible for private insurers in the new health care system to cover abortions.

"It is unconscionable that anti-choice lawmakers would use health reform to attack women's health and privacy," Keenan said last night. "...Even though the bill already included a ban on federal funding for abortion and a requirement that only women's personal funds could pay for abortion care, Reps. Stupak and Pitts took their obsession with attacking a woman's right to choose to a whole new level."

On the abortion amendment, all of the state's seven Republicans voted with Stupak, as well as Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint. Voting against the Stupak amendment were Democrats Dingell, Peters, Schauer, Carolyn Kilpatrick of Detroit, John Conyers of Detroit, Sander Levin of Royal Oak.

Associated Press contributed to this article. dprice@detnews.com (202) 662-8736